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Avengers Reading Order (1963-2015)

DC Comics had the Justice League and, in 1963, Marvel was inspired by its success to respond with its own team of superheroes. And thus, The Avengers were created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in the pages of The Avengers #1 (September 1963).

The story begins with Loki seeking revenge against Thor. His actions led young Rick Jones to call for help. That’s how Ant-Man (Hank Pym), the Wasp, and Iron Man joined Thor and the Hulk in their fight against Loki. The story ended well for the good guys. So well in fact that Ant-Man suggested they form a team – it was the Wasp that came up with the name Avengers.

The rest is history. A long history in fact, with multiple incarnations of the team with the Hulk rapidly leaving the team (in issue #2) and being replaced by Captain America (in issue #4). Former villains, new heroes, honorary members… the roaster changed, but the fight went on against famous foes on Earth, in Space, and everywhere else!

Where to start The Avengers?

As you know, with comics, you don’t have to start with #1, especially when the series started 60 years ago. This guide is here to help you navigate the world of the Avengers, one book at a time. You just have to choose which one will be your first. To help you, Here is a list of the possible entry points in the series:

  1. In the beginning, with The Avengers #1 in 1963
  2. The Avengers in the Modern Age in 1983
  3. The Avengers by John Byrne in 1989
  4. Avengers Volume 3 by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez in 1998
  5. Avengers Disassembled, Brian Michael Bendis’ era in 2005
  6. Avengers by Jonathan Hickman in 2013 (recently updated)
  7. The All-New All-Different Avengers in 2015
  8. The Fresh Start, Avengers by Jason Aaron in 2018

You can also check out our Reading Avengers for some Core Members of the Team:

Avengers Marvel Comics Reading Order:

Notes on collections: Marvel Masterworks is a collection of hardcover reprints of classic stories in chronological order. A premium edition with restored artwork. Since 2021, Marvel started the Mighty Marvel Masterworks, a new (smaller in size) trade paperback line. The Epic Collection line is a numbered collection of sequential issues of one title (large, full-color trade paperback), sometimes including crossovers from related titles, starting from the beginning of a character – not released sequentially.

The Avengers Omnibus Collection

But before going further and looking at a more detailed collection, we are going to list all of the Avengers Omnibuses available:

  • The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects The Avengers (1963) #1-30.
  • The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects The Avengers (1963) #31-58, Avengers Annual (1967) #1-2, X-Men (1963) #45; material from Not Brand Echh (1967) #5, 8.
  • The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 3
    Collects Avengers (1963) #59-88, Incredible Hulk (1968) #140, Marvel Super-Heroes (1967) #17, material from Not Brand Echh (1967) #12.
  • The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 4
    Collects The Avengers (1963) #89-119, Daredevil (1964) #99 and Defenders (1972) #8-11.
  • The Avengers Omnibus Vol. 5
    Collects The Avengers (1963) 120-149, Giant-Size Avengers (1974) #1-4, Captain Marvel (1968) #33, Fantastic Four (1961) #150 and material from Foom (1973) #6-7 & #12.
  • Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus
    Collects Avengers (1963) 305-318, Annual 18; West Coast Avengers (1985) 42-46; Avengers West Coast 47-62, Annual 4.
  • Avengers: The Gathering Omnibus
    Collects Avengers #343-344, #348-375, Avengers Annual# 2, Avengers Strikefile #1, X-Men #26, Avengers West Coast #101, Uncanny X-Men #307, Black Knight: Exodus #1, Avengers Anniversary Magazine #1
  • X-Men / Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus
    Collects Wolverine #104-105; Cable #32-36; Uncanny X-Men #333-337; X-Force #55, #57-58; X-Man #15-19; X-Men (vol. 2) #53-57, Annual ’96; X-Men Unlimited #11; Onslaught: X-Men, Marvel Universe, Epilogue; Avengers #401-402; Fantastic Four #415; Incredible Hulk #444-445; X-Factor #125-126; Amazing Spider-Man #415; Green Goblin #12; Spider-Man #72; Iron Man #332; Punisher #11; Thor #502; X-Men: Road to Onslaught #1; material from Excalibur #100, Fantastic Four #416.
  • Heroes Reborn: The Original Epic Omnibus
    Collects Heroes Reborn (1996) 1/2, Captain America (1996) #1-12, Avengers (1996) #1-12, Fantastic Four (1996) #1-12, Iron Man (1996) #1-12, material from Incredible Hulk (1968) #450.
  • Avengers By Kurt Busiek & George Perez Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Avengers (1998) #1-23, 0, 1 Rough Cut; Iron Man (1998) #7; Captain America (1998) #8; Quicksilver #10; Avengers Annual ’98, ’99; Avengers Forever (1998) #1-12.
  • Avengers by Kurt Busiek & George Perez Omnibus Vol. 2 [New Printing]
    Collects Avengers #24-56, 1 1/2, Annual 2000-2001; Thunderbolts #42-44; Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet; Maximum Security #1-3; Avengers: The Ultron Imperative.
  • Young Avengers by Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus
    Collects Young Avengers (2005) #1-12, Young Avengers Special (2005), Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways (2006) #1-4, Young Avengers Presents (2008) #1-6, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers (2008) #1-3, Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) #1-5, Siege: Young Avengers (2010) #1, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010) #1-9, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade – Young Avengers (2011) #1, Young Avengers (2005) #1 Director’s Cut, And Material From Uncanny X-Men (1981) #526.
  • Avengers vs. X-Men Omnibus
    Collects Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #0-12; Point One (2011) #1 (AVX story); AVX: Vs. (2012) #1-6; Avengers vs. X-Men: Infinite (2012) #1, 6, 10; Avengers Academy (2010) #29-33; Secret Avengers (2010) #26-28; Avengers (2010) #25-30; New Avengers (2010) #24-30; X-Men Legacy (2008) #266-270; Wolverine & the X-Men (2011) #9-16, 18; AVX: Consequences (2012) #1-5; Uncanny X-Men (2011) #11-20; A-Babies vs. X-Babies (2012) #1.
  • Young Avengers by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie Omnibus
    Collects Young Avengers (2013) 1-15, Marvel Now! Point One (2012) 1 (Young Avengers Story).
  • Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects Avengers (2012) #1-23, New Avengers (2013) #1-12, Infinity #1-6, Infinity: Against The Tide Infinite Comic #1-2, Astonishing Tales: Mojoworld #1-6 and Material From Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu (2009) #1.
  • Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects Avengers (2012) #24-44 and New Avengers (2013) #13-33.
  • Savage Avengers by Gerry Duggan Omnibus
    Collects Savage Avengers (2019) #0-28 and Annual #1, Uncanny X-Men (1981) #190-191 And Material From Free Comic Book Day 2019 (Avengers/Savage Avengers).

The Avengers Logo

The Classic Avengers, from 1963 to 1996

Initially published bi-monthly through issue #6, Avengers became a monthly publication after that. The first volume went from 1963 to 1996, the conclusion being in issue #402. During that time, the team roaster changed multiple times, and spin-offs and miniseries were created.

The Avengers Masterworks Collection

The most complete collection for now is the “Masterworks.” We are starting by listing all of the books in that collection with added commentaries to offer a clear reading order of The Avengers adventures from the start to issue #254 (for now). The first 149 issues are available in the Omnibus collection, see the previous section.

After that, you’ll find a listing Avengers Epic Collection for the same issues, then we’ll resume the reading order featuring the better collections available.

With Avengers #16, after every member of the Avengers but Captain America resigned, former villains joined Cap: Hawkeye and the Maximoff twins, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. In Avengers #28, the Wasp and Goliath (previously known as Giant-Man and Ant-Man) rejoined.

After Roy Thomas left, Steve Englehart started his run with #135. He wrote most of the issues up until #152.

After Englehart departed with #152 and a seven-issue stint by Gerry Conway (151-157, Annual #6), Jim Shooter began as the main writer.

  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 17
    Collects The Avengers #164-177; The Avengers Annual #7. Also collected in Avengers: The Korvac Saga (Collects Avgs #167-168, 170-177)

    • Two-Gun Kid joined the team in Avengers #174. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain Marvel, and Whizzer become honorary Avengers in #173.
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 18
    Collects The Avengers #178-188; The Avengers Annual#8-9; Marvel Premiere #49; material from Marvel Tales #100. Also collected in Avengers: Nights of Wundagore (Collects Avgs #181-187).

    • In the three-part story that ran in issues #185–187, the true origins of Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were revealed!
    • In #181, a new line-up is imposed: Captain America, Beast, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and Vision.
    • Ms. Marvel joined the team in Avengers #183, Falcon was recruited in #184.
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol.19
    Collects The Avengers #189-202; Marvel Premiere #55; Tales to Astonish #12. Also collected in Avengers: Heart of Stone (Collects Avgs #188-196, Annual #9)
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 20
    Collects The Avengers #203-216; The Avengers Annual #10; material from Marvel Super Action #35-37.

    • in #211, once more, it is decided that there must be fewer members: Captain America, Yellow Jacket, Wasp, Tigra, Iron Man & Thor. But then, Yellow Jacket is put on trial!
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 21
    Collects The Avengers #217-226; The Avengers Annual #11; Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-4; material from Marvel Fanfare #3.

    • In #221, Hawkeye returns to the Avengers and She-Hulk joins the team. 

The Contest is the first Marvel event miniseries: When the Grandmaster plays a game of cosmic chess against Death herself, Earth’s superheroes become the pawns! If the Grandmaster wins, his brother the Collector will be restored to life. But if he loses, Death will claim a bitter price! Each side selects twelve champions from all across Earth to do battle for the fragments of the golden globe of life.

This is when the Silver Age/Bronze Age era ended. With #227, in 1983, the Avengers entered the “Modern Age.” The West Coast Avengers spin-off will be launched in 1984-85, and the Solo Avengers series in 1987. This era began with Roger Stern as the main writer of the series (up until #288).

  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 22
    Collects The Avengers #227-235; The Avengers Annual #12; Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16; Fantastic Four #256; Doctor Strange #60.

    • In #227, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) is now a member-in-training.
    • In #235, Scarlet Witch is officially back on the team.
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 23
    Collects The Avengers #236-245 The Avengers Annual #13, and Hawkeye (1983) #1-4.

    • Secret Wars! Takes place between #242 & #243. Marvel Universe’s greatest heroes and villains are set against one another by the mysterious and all-powerful Beyonder. It’s a 12-issue miniseries collected in Secret Wars Omnibus.
  • Avengers Masterworks Vol. 24 NEW
    Collects The Avengers #246-254, Avengers West Coast (1984) #1-4 and Iron Man Annual #7.

For now, the Masterworks Collection stops here. So, things get a little more complicated. But as the new Masterworks are published, the guide will be updated to follow the previous format.

The Avengers Epic Collection

As explained at the start of the section dedicated to the Masterworks Collection, here are the books from the Avengers Epic Collection for the same period.

After Avengers #248, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, Tigra, Wonder Man, and Iron Man (James Rhodes) formed the West Coast Avengers. The first 4-issue WCA miniseries took place here, the two teams joined forces in #250.

Secret Wars II! Avengers #260-261 & #265-265 are part of the Secret Wars II crossover event. The last time Earth’s heroes encountered the Beyonder, they fought for their lives. This time, they fight for all existence! A year after kidnapping the most powerful beings on Earth and pitting them against one another in a “Secret War” on a distant world, the omnipotent Beyonder comes to Earth to continue his study of humanity. See the reading order to know more about it.

Arrows fly and swords clash in these thrilling tales from your favorite Avengers’ solo files. The second spin-off was launched. An issue of Solo Avengers usually collects two stories, one with Hawkeye and one with a current or former member of the Avengers.

* There’s no volume 2, only the first 10 issues are collected for now. With #21, the series was renamed Avengers Spotlight (up until the end with #40), also not collected.

With Avengers #305 and West Coast Avengers #42, John Byrne took over the writing duties on both titles and merged the two separate teams into one team with two bases. With #47, WCA is now called Avengers West Coast. You can find find that era collected in Avengers by John Byrne Omnibus.

  • The Avengers Epic Collection: Acts of Vengeance
    Collects Avengers (1963) 305-318, Annual 18; West Coast Avengers (1985) #53-55.

    • Quasar joined the Avengers in the Annual #18. Sersi joined in issue #314, and in #316, Spider-Man is given membership in the Avengers.
  • Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Vision Quest
    Collects West Coast Avengers (1985) #38-46, Avengers West Coast (1989) #47-52, West Coast Avengers Annual (1986) #3, Avengers West Coast Annual (1989) #4, material from Avengers Spotlight (1989) #23.

    • WCA #46 introduced the (unofficial) team called the Great Lakes Avengers. And in #50, the original Human Torch makes a comeback.
  • Avengers Epic Collection: The Crossing Line
     Collects Avengers (1963) #319-333, Avengers Annual (1967) #19; material from Captain America Annual (1971) #9, Iron Man Annual (1970) #11, Thor Annual (1966) #15, Avengers West Coast Annual (1989) #5.

    • Stingray officially joined the Avengers in issue #319.
    • In Avengers #329, Rage and Sandman became reserve members after the entire membership gathered to choose a new roster (composed of Captain America, Sersi, Vision, Quasar, Black Widow, Thor, and She-Hulk).
  • Avengers West Coast Epic Collection: Darker Than Scarlet
     Collects Avengers West Coast (1989) #53-64, Avengers West Coast Annual (1989) #5, Avengers (1963) #311-313; material from Avengers Annual (1967) #19, What The–?! (1988) #6.

Bob Harras and Steve Epting took over the title in the summer of 1991 with issue #334. Most of what followed was collected in one omnibus Avengers: The Gathering Omnibus.

Avengers West Coast concluded with issue #102. The former members of the Avengers West Coast all resign and form the new group, Force Works.

  • Avengers Epic Collection: The Gatherers Strike!
    Collects Avengers (1963) #360-366, Annual 22, Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective 1-4; Avengers Strikefile 1 and material from Avengers Anniversary Magazine.
  • The Avengers Epic Collection: The Gathering
    Collects Avengers (1963) #367-377 And Annual #23, X-Men (1991) #26, Avengers West Coast #101, Uncanny X-Men (1981) #307, And Avengers Log #1.
  • Avengers/Iron Man: Force Works
    Collects Force Works #1–15, Force Works: Ashcan Edition; Century: Distant Sons #1; material from Iron Man/Force Works Collectors’ Preview.
  • Avengers Epic Collection: Taking A.I.M
     Collects Avengers (1963) #378-388, Marvel Double Feature: Avengers/Giant-Man (1994) #379-382, Vision (1994) #1-4, Captain America (1968) #440-441.

    • After that, no more Epic Collection, for now, just old collected editions.
  • Avengers: The Crossing
    Collects Avengers #390-395, The Crossing, Timeslide; Iron Man (1968) #319-325; Force Works #16-22; War Machine #20-25; Age of Innocence: The Rebirth of Iron Man.

    • Force Works concluded with issue #22.
  • Avengers/Iron Man: First Sign
    Collects Captain America (1968) #449, Thor (1966) #496, Iron Man (1968) #326-331 and Avengers (1963) #396-400.
  • X-Men / Avengers: Onslaught Omnibus
    Collects Wolverine #104-105; Cable #32-36; Uncanny X-Men #333-337; X-Force #55, #57-58; X-Man #15-19; X-Men (vol. 2) #53-57, Annual ’96; X-Men Unlimited #11; Onslaught: X-Men, Marvel Universe, Epilogue; Avengers #401-402; Fantastic Four #415; Incredible Hulk #444-445; X-Factor #125-126; Amazing Spider-Man #415; Green Goblin #12; Spider-Man #72; Iron Man #332; Punisher #11; Thor #502; X-Men: Road to Onslaught #1; material from Excalibur #100, Fantastic Four #416.

Heroes Reborn (aka Avengers Vol. 2)

With the Onslaught Saga (see full reading order for more details), the Marvel Universe was… changed. Following the apparent deaths of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and Doctor Doom, Marvel asked the Image Comics founder to come back to relaunch their heroes. This led to the Heroes Reborn era.

Here is the official synopsis: Marvel’s greatest heroes, revamped and reborn! Featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, the FF, and more — on a whole new world, boldly reimagined by the hottest creators of the 1990s! Steve Rogers takes on the mantle of the Sentinel of Liberty, gains a brand-new sidekick, and faces down the Red Skull! Cap, Hawkeye, Vision, Swordsman, Hellcat, and more form the Avengers, but can they awaken Thor and defeat the devious Loki? The Fantastic Four face old threats for the first time, from the Mole Man to Doctor Doom! The newly forged Iron Man takes on Hydra and the incredible Hulk! But can these reborn heroes save the Earth from the hunger of Galactus?

  • Heroes Reborn: The Original Epic Omnibus
    Collects Heroes Reborn (1996) 1/2, Captain America (1996) #1-12, Avengers (1996) #1-12, Fantastic Four (1996) #1-12, Iron Man (1996) #1-12, material from Incredible Hulk (1968) #450.

    • Heroes Reborn: The Avengers (Only The Avengers relevant material)
       Collects Avengers (1996) #1-12, Fantastic Four (1996) #12, Iron Man (1996) #6 And #12, Captain America (1996) #12 & Material From Fantastic Four (1996) #6 And Captain America (1996) #6.
  • Heroes Reborn: The Return
    Collects Heroes Reborn: The Return #1-4; Heroes Reborn: Doomsday, Ashema, Masters Of Evil, Rebel, Remnants, Young Allies And Doom.

The Avengers Volume 3, from 1998 to 2004

Once the Heroes found their way back to the Marvel Universe, writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez launched a new volume of the Avengers. They work on 56 issues of The Avengers and a few more. The Maximum Security crossover took place during their run.

After a few issues, it was decided that Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Warbird (Carol Danvers) & Vision were the main members of The Avengers. Justice and Firestar became reserve members in #4, then full-time members in #7. Triathlon joined in #27, then Silverclaw in #30 as a reserve member – and main member in #43 at the same time as Jack of Hearts. The rest of the roaster is everchanging, as usual.

You can easily collect this run with the Omnibus Edition:

…or in the “Avengers Assemble” collection available in Hardcover or Paperback (or digital).

  • Avengers Infinity written by Roger Stern and illustrated by Sean Chen, leads to Maximum Security.
     Collects Avengers Infinity #1-4.
  • Avengers Assemble, Vol. 4
    Collects Avengers vol. 3 #35–40, Annual 2000, Avengers: The Ultron Imperative, Maximum Security #1-3’’ and ‘’Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet.’’

    • Avengers: Celestial Quest written by Steve Englehart, and illustrated by Jorge Santamaria and Scott Hanna. 
       Collects Avengers: Celestial Quest #1-8.
  • Avengers Assemble, Vol. 5
    Collects Avengers vol. 3 #41–56, Annual 2001. 

Once Kurt Busiek left the title in 2002, Geoff Johns took over. For some reason, Marvel started to use double numbering, the volume 3 numbering and, in some editions, the legacy numbering. This era is covering Avengers (1998) #57–63—or #472–491. Ant-Man (Scott Lang) joined the team in #57, and became a full-time member in #62.

Chuck Austen briefly took over (from #77 to 84 / or #492 to 499). But first, Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza wrote an Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover miniseries.

And then came Brian Michael Bendis’s destruction of the Avengers in Avengers Disassembled. It is an end, but also an entry point for new readers, as it introduced BMB’s run. You can learn more about it with the reading order of the event.

New Avengers by Brian Bendis, from 2005 to 2012

Brian Michael Bendis took over the Avengers and changed the way Marvel worked, launching one event to prepare for the next one. To know more about that run, go to our dedicated Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers reading order.

With the Avengers in ruins, a new team named The New Avengers is created: Iron Man, Captain America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Ronin (aka Echo), Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Sentry. During that period, we saw the creation of the Young Avengers (see reading order for more details).

  • Secret War
    Collects Secret War (2004) #1-5.
  • New Avengers Modern Era Epic Collection: Assembled
    Collects Avengers (1998) #500-503, 500 Director’s Cut; Avengers Finale (2004); New Avengers (2004) #1-10, 1 Director’s Cut; New Avengers Most Wanted Files (2005).Previously collected in: New Avengers Vol. 1: Breakout (Collects New Avengers #1-6) and New Avengers Vol. 2: The Sentry (Collects New Avengers #7-10).

    • Young Avengers by Heinberg & Cheung Omnibus
      Collects Young Avengers (2005) #1-12, Young Avengers Special (2005), Civil War: YoungAvengers by Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Avengers & Runaways (2006) #1-4, Young Avengers Presents (2008) #1-6, Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers (2008) #1-3, Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) #1-5, Siege: Young Avengers (2010) #1, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010) #1-9, Avengers: The Children’s Crusade – Young Avengers (2011) #1, Young Avengers (2005) #1 Director’s Cut, And Material From Uncanny X-Men (1981) #526.

The Avengers and the X-Men are faced with a common foe that becomes their greatest threat: Wanda Maximoff! The Scarlet Witch is out of control, and the fate of the entire world is in her hands. It’s House of M, and for more information and tie-ins, go to the reading order.

It’s The Civil War! The U.S. Government proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, intending to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction and requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards. Heroes had to choose between rallying behind either Iron Man’s pro-registration forces or Captain America’s opposition. The Civil War began., go to the reading order.

Once Civil War concluded, the Avengers were not the same. In fact, there were two Avenger teams: government-sanctioned Avengers (aka The Mighty Avengers) and the rebel Avengers (aka New Avengers).

The Secret Invasion begins with a brutal battle between the New Avengers and the Hand—one that claims the life of Elektra and reveals that she was a Skrull! What does this mean for Tony Stark and his Mighty Avengers? How about the Illuminati? go to the Reading Order!

Dark ReignThe immediate event that spun out of the conclusion of Secret Invasion was War of Kings, but it’s about the Marvel Cosmic Universe, not about the Avengers. On the regular Earth, after Secret Invasion came the Dark Reign, a new “dark” era for the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Dark Reign is not an event, but a thematic era (see this article to learn more about it). A new status quo, a bad one for the heroes but good for the Dark Avengers, Norman Osborn’s team!

New Epic Collection! Starting in 2024, Marvel will release the Dark Avengers in a new collection.

The Classic trade paperbacks order:

Marvel Siege LogoAnd now, Siege! It’s the end of the Dark Reign Era. Coerced by Loki and on the brink of madness, Osborn, in his final bid to take total control, targets the final obstacle in his mission…Asgard. More with the reading order of the event.

With Siege, the Dark Reign era concluded. It was replaced by The Heroic Age. It began with the one-shot Enter the Heroic Age. Dark Avengers and Mighty Avengers are no more.

Brian Michael Bendis is now the main writer on Avengers and New Avengers (relaunch!). Also, Ed Brubaker launched Secret Avengers about a black-ops superhero team led by Captain Steve Rogers (see our Brubaker’s Cap America Reading Order) and Christos Gage wrote Avengers Academy, the story of a group of young super-powered persons selected to join a training academy.

Be afraid of Fear Itself! A 2011 crossover Marvel Comics event written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. It’s not from Bendis, but it affected all of the Marvel Universe, including the Avengers of course. The entire planet has been seized by Fear and only chaos reigns. The Serpent, Asgard’s most ancient evil, has awakened and is feeding off the fear of Earth’s populace. Don’t be afraid, the Reading Order is here.

The Avengers and the X-Men go to war in Avengers vs. X-Men! This 2012 crossover event involved the return of the Phoenix Force and the subsequent war between the Avengers and the X-Men. For a more comprehensive look at the event, go to the reading order.

  • Avengers vs. X-Men Omnibus
    Collects Avengers vs. X-Men (2012) #0-12; Point One (2011) #1 (AVX story); AVX: Vs. (2012) #1-6; Avengers vs. X-Men: Infinite (2012) #1, 6, 10; Avengers Academy (2010) #29-33; Secret Avengers (2010) #26-28; Avengers (2010) #25-30; New Avengers (2010) #24-30; X-Men Legacy (2008) #266-270; Wolverine & the X-Men (2011) #9-16, 18; AVX: Consequences (2012) #1-5; Uncanny X-Men (2011) #11-20; A-Babies vs. X-Babies (2012) #1.

Also available in separate paperbacks, see below.

Avengers by Jonathan Hickman, from 2013 to 2015

Marvel Now starts here! This relaunch debuted in October 2012, following the conclusion of Avengers Vs. X-Men. Jonathan Hickman took over as the main writer of The Avengers. But before jumping fully into this new era, the following are some Avengers titles published at the same time, but that we think are better read on their own for fluidity reasons:

Avengers & X-Men Logo Reading OrderSpinning directly out of Avengers vs. X-Men, A+X is a team-up anthology between the Avengers and the X-Men, partnering The Beast and Spider-Man, Black Widow and Rogue, Captain America and Cyclops, and more.

The Young Avengers assembled under Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie! Wiccan, Hulkling and Kate “Hawkeye” Bishop unite with Kid Loki, Marvel Boy, Prodigy and Ms. America. and you can read the whole run in one sitting:

The Uncanny Avengers find themselves in a long-form story with no continuity breaks, so better to read it together:

As Jonathan Hickman became the main writer on The Avengers titles, he introduced new threats but also expanded the roster and sphere of influence of the team to a global and even interplanetary level. In New Avengers (Volume 3), he focused more on the members of The Illuminati (Black Panther, Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic, Sub-Mariner, and the Beast) who are armed with the six Infinity Gems against an infinite legion of parallel realities. To know more about that run, go to our dedicated Hickman’s Avengers reading order.

Alert Event! This is when the Infinity crossover event started, and you can find the reading order of the event here. Including how to read Avengers and New Avengers in order. The event is about the Mad Titan Thanos who makes his world-shattering return, and his armies fire the opening shots of a galactic war that will be fought both on Earth and in deep space – with our heroes caught between both battles!

  • Infinity
    Collects Infinity #1-6, New Avengers Vol. 3 #7-12, Avengers Vol 5. #14-23.

  • Infinity Companion Hardcover
    Collects Captain Marvel Vol. 7 #15-16, Thunderbolts Vol. 2 #14-18, Avengers Assemble Vol. 2 #18-20, Infinity: The Hunt #1-4, Mighty Avengers Vol. 2 #1-3, Nova Vol. 5 #8-9, Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #3-4, Infinity: Heist #1-4, Fearless Defenders #10, Secret Avengers Vol. 2 #10-11, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 #8-9, Wolverine & The X-Men Annual #1

    • Secret Avengers Vol. 2: Iliad
      Collects Secret Avengers (vol. 2) #6-11. Secret Avengers 10-11 are tie-ins to the Infinity (Review) event. #10 after Avengers Assemble #20.

Right after Infinity came Inhumanity:

Original Sin! The story begins when Uatu The Watcher, the mysterious space god who’s been watching mankind from the moon for as long as we can remember … is found dead. But who shot the Watcher? More information in the reading order of the event.

  • Original Sin
    Collects Point One #1 (Watcher story); Original Sin #0-8, Annual 1; Original Sins #1-5, Original Sin: Secret Avengers Infinite Comic #1-2.

AXIS Reading OrderAt the same time as Original Sin, another Marvel Event was taking place: AXIS. It puts the Avengers, the X-Men, and a group of villains against Red Skull after he succeeded to harness the powers of Onslaught and the recently deceased Professor Xavier.

Previously collected in:

The 2015 Secret Wars! The interdimensional Incursions have eliminated each and every alternate universe one by one. And now, the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided…and been destroyed! All that exists in the vast empty cosmos is a single, titanic patchwork planet made of the fragmented remains of hundreds of devastated dimensions: Battleworld! Go here to find the full reading order of the event.

  • Secret Wars
    Collects Secret Wars #0,#1-9, Free Comic Book Day 2015.

Continue to Avengers, A Post Secret Wars Reading Order Guide (2015 – Present)

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